Congregation B’nai B’rith

• Classics:  Departure for Israel.

The first day’s itinerary is subject to change depending on the flight arrival.

• Classics Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance from a Makor Educational Journeys
• Proceed to Tel Aviv
• Check-in to the hotel
• Introduction to Jaffa-Tel Aviv from the outlook from the Jaffa Slope Park with a view of Tel-Aviv’s shoreline, the Promenade and hotels located along the beach.
• With a virtual performance that brings past heroes to life, the Visitors Center of Old Jaffa enables its visitors to experience 5,000 years of history in one the most ancient port cities in the world.
• Opening dinner at a Jaffa restaurant.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Drive to the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, a clandestine munitions factory from the War of Independence, an example of the imagination and ingenuity needed to form the State of Israel
• Return to Tel Aviv
• Guided visit to Beit HaPalmach, the Palmach Museum, which follows the story of the pre-state elite fighting unit and their struggles and triumphs.
• A guided walking tour begins at the Habima Theater and takes you along Rothschild Boulevard to discover the stories behind this old Tel Aviv neighborhood and its historical sites and buildings, art galleries, coffee houses, and the heart of Tel Aviv’s financial district.
• Lunch on own “Tel Aviv -style” in an open-air café.
• Conclude with a visit to Independence House, where the State of Israel was established in 1948 (pending re-opening*)

OR

• *Visit the Independence House Visitors Center at the Shalom Tower, for a tour and discussion about the Declaration of Independence and its values and the dramatic events surrounding the establishment of the State.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast and check-out of hotel
• Proceed to Jerusalem
• Stop at the Haas Promenade for an introduction to Jerusalem and an opportunity to say the traditional Shehecheyanu prayer, upon arriving in Jerusalem
• Enter the Old City through the Jaffa Gate for a guided visit to explore the unique weave of various religious and ethnic groups in the one square kilometer of the Old City.
• Lunch on own in the suq
• Guided visit through the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including:
  • The Avenue of the Righteous
  • The Holocaust History Museum
  • The Children’s Memorial
• Walk through the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, concluding with the Leaders of the Nation section with the graves of Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir and others.
• Check-in to hotel
• Dinner on own

“Emerging Vision” DEPARTS UNITED STATES FOR ISRAEL; Overnight In-Flight

Classics:

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Travel to the Dead Sea Region
• Ascend Masada via cable car for a guided visit through the site and an exploration of the symbolism and questions that arise from the Masada story and their implications for Jewish life today.
• Ride the cable car down and continue to Ein Bokek for an opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and swim in the hotel pool, followed by lunch.
• Hike up to and cool off in the refreshing pools and waterfalls in the Nahal David (David’s Stream) of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a unique ecosystem of springs, waterfalls and pools surrounded by lush greenery in a desolate desert setting.
• Return to Jerusalem
• Dinner on own

Emerging Vision:

• Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance from a Makor Educational Journeys
• Proceed to Jerusalem
• Stop at the Haas Promenade for an introduction to Jerusalem and an opportunity to say the traditional Shehecheyanu prayer, upon arriving in Jerusalem (Daylight permitting)
• Check-in hotel
• Welcome dinner

Both groups proceed together

• Early breakfast at the hotel
• (Optional) Rosh Hodesh services at the Western Wall with Women of the Wall
• Jerusalem- The Venice of God: Walking tour through the Old City combining site explanations and the poetry of Yehuda Amichai for an individual and personal look into the heart of Jerusalem.
• Lunch meeting with David Mendelson or Jeremy Leigh Issues in Israel Today
• During a hilltop tour of Jerusalem, view some of the civilian neighborhoods that after the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 became part of the “security belt,” as well as the Jerusalem Envelope Seam Zone Barrier for a discussion of Jerusalem geopolitics.
• The Boundaries and Borders, Bridges and Connections of Jerusalem: ride the light rail through the northern Jewish and Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, with their Arab, Haredi, national religious and secular populations, getting off at specific stops to meet individuals who represent the mosaic of Jerusalem.
• Dinner on own

• Breakfast at the hotel
• The Women of Ein Kerem: Walk through the quaint village suburb of Ein Kerem which boasts fascinating stories about a variety of women, Jews and non-Jews, who domiciled there through history. Stops may include Maria’s Spring:  the fountain that was named after the Virgin Mary who -during her visit to Ein Kerem- frequented the spring and drank from its water; Church of the Visitation:  The elderly childless Elisheva (Elizabeth) received the revelation from an angel that she was to receive a gift of a son from God who became known as John the Baptist.  Meet with modern-day women artisans, storytellers, culinary wizards and poetesses.
• Lunch on own in Ein Kerem.
• Feel the sense that Shabbat is in the air in the Machane Yehuda open-air market where one can see Jerusalem’s human tapestry as people of all nationalities, religions and ages crowd the market’s streets.
• Afternoon at leisure
• Kabbalat Shabbat (on own, at the Kotel/Azrat Yisrael/, with Nava Tehila or with a Reform Jerusalem synagogue)
• Shabbat dinner: A Sabbath “Fusion Meal” – culinary traditions from the Jewish East and West in a private setting.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Morning at leisure in Jerusalem or (optional) walk on the Old City ramparts with Rabbi Daniel
• Check-out of the hotel
• Proceed north by way of the Jordan Rift Valley
• Participate in an EcoPeace project in the Jordan Valley.
• Lunch at the Auja Rooftop Restaurant that serves local, seasonal Palestinian food from the Jordan Valley and from Auja’s organic gardens. The dishes are made by women from the Auja village and reflect the landscape and traditions of this place but are one of the first restaurants in Palestine to use solar cookers. (pending confirmation)
• Proceed to Moshava Kinneret
• The date tree (tamar) has long been a symbol of prosperity, fertility, spirituality and even victory. At Tamar BaKfar, one can celebrate (and buy) Galilean produce and products. Enjoy samplings of local date products, olive oil, wines and natural cosmetics, and learn about the intricacies of date farming.
• Check-in to the hotel
• Dinner at the hotel
• Havdalah on the shores of the Kinneret.
• Night-out in Tiberias

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Explore Safed: stroll through the narrow alleyways; peek into old synagogues and hear the stories of the 16^th-century rabbis of Safed, who breathed new life into the Jewish people after the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and who are credited by many with igniting the first flames of passion for a return to the land of Israel. Participate in a special Lecha Dodi exploration.
  • Leisure time for shopping and self-exploration.
• Participate in an authentic Druze cooking workshop /lunch that affords a hands-on, true to life cultural immersion that’s not just about good eating but rather about exploring foreign cultures through taste smell and experience.
• Proceed to Kibbutz Amiad
• Wine and fruit liqueur tasting at the Amiad Winery
• Dinner at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
• Tour BioBee at the religious kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, to learn about its cutting-edge ecological business in biologically-based integrated pest management and natural pollination. Biobee endeavors to foster good relations and spread ecological awareness around the world, including to Jordanians and Palestinian Arabs.
• Visit the Bat Shlomo Winery and meet with founder and serial entrepreneur Eli Wurtman, who combines his love of wine with a special project, Regavim, that helps youth at risk.
• Proceed to Tel Aviv
• Ethnic Art: Visit Kuchinate, a collective of African asylum-seeking women in vulnerable situations—who design and create crocheted products for the home, and enjoy a traditional Eritrean/Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
• (time permitting) Guided tour in the Florentine neighborhood, Tel Aviv’s most bohemian and upbeat neighborhood and learn about contemporary Israeli culture through urban art: writing on the wall, graffiti, bumper stickers and even painted garbage bins.
• Check-in to hotel
• Dinner at a “chef” restaurant in Tel Aviv

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Depart hotel to Sde Boker.
• At the Sde Boker Campus, visit the Cyndi and Max Mintzberg Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism Building and the Ben-Gurion Archives and meet with Adi Portughies, Head, Infrastructure Information Systems.
• Continue to the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR), Sde Boker. Visit the Wine to Bottle Laboratory and the Experiential Vineyard with Aaron Fait, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research.
• Visit the David and Paula Ben-Gurion Memorial Site
• Continue to the Marcus Family Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva. Lunch with Sarab Abu-Rabia Queder, Vice-President for Diversity and Inclusion
• Overview of the BGU innovation ecosystem.
• Depart for Tel Aviv.  On the way, stop for a panoramic view of the city of Beer Sheva, the Hebron mountains and Mount Negev atop the Palmach Negev Brigade Memorial -which commemorates members of the Brigade who fell in the War of Independence- discuss of the place and future of the Negev in Israeli society.
• Stop at an overlook point into Gaza and view the construction of the new and highly classified underground barrier, which utilizes Israeli innovation and the topography to create a protective strategy against Hamas tunneling.
• Dinner on own in Tel Aviv.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Tel Aviv as a Jewish City, Tel Aviv as an Israeli City, Tel Aviv as a City of the World, with scholar Rachel Korazim
• State of the Art: With installation artist and art educator, Shirel Horowitz, tour the Israeli Art collection of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art for an opportunity to dive into artworks that open doors to questions of Israeli identity, spirituality, connection to the land to religion and more.
• Lunch at a Tel Aviv restaurant
• Ethnic Art: Visit Kuchinate, a collective of African asylum-seeking women in vulnerable situations—who design and create crocheted products for the home, to partake in a traditional Eritrean/Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
• Guided tour in the Florentine neighborhood, Tel Aviv’s most bohemian and upbeat neighborhood and learn about contemporary Israeli culture thorough urban art: writing on the wall, graffiti, bumper stickers and even painted garbage bins.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Hesed project with a “food security” NGO, e.g. Leket.
• From Shuq to Chic: Traditionally based in working-class neighborhoods, Tel Aviv’s markets marry regional produce with the traditions of the city’s many immigrant communities. Guided touring, tastings, and shopping in two very different Tel Aviv markets as examples of how Tel Aviv has developed. Lunch on own in the markets.
  • Levinsky Balkan Spice Market specializes in spices and delicatessen products andregional delights from Balkan ad Mediterranean countries.
  • Sarona was a flourishing 19^th century Christian Templar agricultural settlement in the midst of the isolated plains north of Jaffa. Today, the up-scale, elegant Sarona Farmer’s Market is an indoor shopping and restaurant space that displays and sells the best of gourmet Israeli foods while preserving the character of the old  Sarona neighborhood.
• Afternoon at leisure.
• Proceed to Neot Kedumim
• Interactive ecological tour at Ne’ot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve, a living museum of Israel’s “green archaeology” illustrating Jewish heritage tied to the Land and People Israel. Special emphasis on water issues and creative solutions, both ancient and modern, including an opportunity to draw water from a 2000-year-old cistern.
• Farewell dinner at Ne’ot Kedumim
• Drive to Ben Gurion International Airport for the departure flight.